What’s that? Is that the sound of shocked silence? Yep, call me crazy, but I have Johnny Football overcoming all of his summer hoopla to ride out of College Station in glory (because it’s oh so obvious how much he loves being there from his Twitter feed). The Heisman Trophy winner puts all the distractions behind him, whether it be partying too much oversleeping at the Manning Passing Academy or settling with the NCAA for a first half suspension because it really didn’t want to suspend him receiving a first half suspension. You know when college football championships aren’t won? The summer. You know when they are won? The fall. And we just saw Manziel put together the greatest season a freshman has had since Herschel Walker. That’s what I’m counting on repeating, and until someone proves they can stop him consistently, good luck slowing this high-speed train down. If I’m wrong, we’ll know emphatically in just four weeks after Nick Saban’s crew has rolled through town, but I’m betting that lightning can strike twice. And then with a game in hand over Alabama, I look for a letdown at some point during the brutal SEC slate before a triumph over Georgia in their back yard.

On the other side, I’ve got Urban Meyer beginning his coaching career in Columbus 25-0 and leading the Buckeyes back to the title game for the first time since the 2007 season. This is an easy call for me. Urban Meyer is the best coach in the B1G by a wide margin, and he’s coaching the best team in the B1G by a wide margin. Say what you want about Meyer’s lack of patience, arrogance or the complete and total lack of accountability he holds his players to off the field, the guy just simply wins. No Nebraska and Michigan State on the schedule from the Legends Division helps too. The Buckeyes will outclass and outmatch everyone in their path and walk to Pasadena.

Weird to see Bama smelling like roses. I mean have you ever driven through there? Just kidding, but with Ohio State being the No. 1 team in the BCS in my scenario, the Rose Bowl would get the first pick and rather than reaching for a mid-level B1G school like Michigan, Michigan State Nebraska, Northwestern or Wisconsin for a traditional matchup, I think they opt for not only the most rabid fan base, but also the dream contest we’ve been clamoring for in college football for years. I have the Tide tripping up at A&M but running the table and finishing in the top five (with many shouting for their inclusion in the big game in Pasadena against unbeaten Ohio State).

Oregon and Stanford are going to have an absolute war on the farm Nov. 7 in what could be the biggest Thursday night game in the history of college football. I have the Ducks prevailing over a Stanford team that I think is just a little overrated (sure the Cardinal won 12 games, an amazing accomplishment at a school hindered by academic restrictions, but eight of those wins came by a touchdown or less, and I just think there’s too many loseable game out there for them). Had Chip Kelly stayed at Oregon, I’d take the Ducks to run the table and meet Ohio State in the BCS Championship Game, but I can’t put that much faith in a first-year head coach. I say the Ducks slip up once and end up here.

Sugar Bowl:

ACC at-large: Florida State (10-2)vs.AAC Champion: Louisville (12-0)

If the Rose Bowl steals Bama, the big loser would be the Sugar Bowl, which would get shut out of an SEC representative for the second time in three years. However, the opportunity to attract at-large Florida State would be a nice substitute. Jimbo Fisher has racked up an amazing 31-10 record in Tallahassee, but he still hasn’t won over the fan base. Maybe he can get over the hump by leading the ‘Noles to a second straight BCS Bowl game. The ACC’s a joke in football quite simply, and if Florida State can survive its question marks, yet talent, at quarterback in the opener Labor Day night at Pitt, there just aren’t very many loseable games in the conference slate past Clemson and Miami. Although, nobody thought N.C. State was a loseable game last year.

With a team from the B1G getting scooped up by the Orange Bowl (I’ll get to that in a second) the Sugar Bowl will have slim pickings for its second selection from a fan-base perspective. So why not being back a potentially undefeated Louisville, champs of the American Athletic Conference (yeah, how long is that gonna take to catch on?) who could defend their bowl victory over Florida’s other big school. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will submit a Heisman-caliber season, and running back Michael Dyer is the steal of the offseason. The Cardinals should roll through their weak schedule that features nobody in the preseason top 25. Unfortunately, it won’t be enough it derail the Johnny Football Machine for a spot in Pasadena despite the better record.

Orange Bowl:

ACC Champion: Clemson (11-2)vs.B1G at-large: Michigan (9-3)

Clemson’s a sneaky sleeper to win it all in 2013, but they picked a bad year to increase the difficulty of their schedule by adding a home date versus fellow top-10 foe Georgia week one. Add in the yearly showdowns with South Carolina and Florida State, and the other Tigers in the other Death Valley will have a heck of a time running the table. Quarterback Tajh Boyd and wide receiver Sammy Watkins are future NFL Pro Bowlers, and if you thought it was impressive when Clemson averaged a whopping 46.5 points in ACC contests a year ago, just see what it does to its lame conference foes this year. The break that could place Clemson in the ACC Title Game is having Florida State at home, a place the ‘Noles haven’t won since 2001.

On the other side, the Orange Bowl will make a tough choice easy by picking the best fan base available. Once again, money triumphs over a more qualified opponent (cough, cough, Louisville). Just like the Sugar Bowl two years ago, the big winner is Michigan. DING! DING! DING! Even though I called Ohio the best team with the best coach in the B1G by a wide margin earlier, I think that school up north can be 10-1 or 9-2 when they get to The Game, and even a loss would leave the Wolverines in the BCS’ top 14, making them eligible for an at-large berth.

Fiesta Bowl:

Big XII Champion: Texas (9-3)vs.MWC at-large: Fresno State (11-1)

Look. You don’t know who’s winning the Big XII. I don’t know who’s winning the Big XII. This conference is more up for grabs than candy falling out of a piñata. But against all odds, in a statement that would have seemed unthinkable not that long ago, Texas has the most stable quarterback situation in the league. David Ash has taken the bull by the horns and become the best signal caller in Austin since Colt McCoy. Add in the fact that Mack Brown is the most desperate coach in the league, and I’m putting my nickel on orange No. 14 on the roulette table that is the Big XII.

And I’ve got the Horns taking on this year’s BCS buster, Fresno State. In his first year, Tim DeRuyer took over from Pat Hill and led the Bulldogs to a 9-4 mark including a one-point loss at Tulsa and a 10-point loss at Boise State. This year, Fresno has Boise in the valley. If Fresno can navigate through the first five games unscathed, an undefeated season is very possible. Derek Carr, the younger brother of David, is making a name for himself in Northern California. He completed 67.3 percent of his passes for an amazing 37 touchdowns and seven picks a year ago. I admit this pick is a little out there, but with the maximum of two teams from the SEC, Pac-12 and B1G already selected by the BCS and the Big XII champion going to this bowl, you tell me who else you like out there from another league.

LSU Tigers:

Cotton Bowl:

LSU Tigers (8-4)vs.Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-3)

As always, the bowl selection process is more about backdoor politics than where a team actually deserves to go, so after a 10-2 LSU got the short end of the stick and wound up in Atlanta last year, I think the SEC tie-ins throw an 8-4 Tiger team a bone and send them to the spot their campaign begins – Arlington. However, the pick will be placed on a platter for the Cotton Bowl with two SEC West squads headed for the BCS and nobody else in the SEC West worthy (I like Ole Miss as much as anyone else, but just look at their first seven games. Brutal!). I have the Tigers going through growing pains with a young and inexperienced defense in 2013, but it’s just an inevitable bump on the road with more BCS glory set to come when those youngsters grow up.

As previously mentioned, I have no idea what’s gonna happen in the Big XII and now I gotta pick a second place team to match up with LSU in Arlington. Because I don’t think the bowl would take Oklahoma two years in a row, that makes my job a little easier. Therefore, I’m taking the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The headlines will be easy with Les Miles taking on his former school and protégé Mike Gundy. Too bad we didn’t see this matchup two seasons ago or the Mad Hatter might be flashing a second ring.

Tulane Green Wave:

Unfortunately for Green Wave faithful, I don’t share the same bowl game optimism many of you do in 2013. We’re talking about a squad that went 2-10 with an average margin of defeat of 21.5 points that lost an NFL quarterback and didn’t exactly tear up the recruiting trail this offseason. I’m not saying Tulane doesn’t have a brighter future than it has in a while because I like what Curtis Johnson is doing, but you tell me where the optimism comes from this year. I’ll admit the additions of North Texas and UTSA to the annual conference slate should make the schedule easier, but the Green Wave have quite a bit of work to do before an easy schedule is enough for me to put them over the top. Give me a 3-9 season with wins over Jackson State, South Alabama and North Texas.